I am 23, a young woman from Saudi Arabia. Mature for my age, and hard working, I love everything having to do with technology, particularly communications and computer science. This is why I choose to study information security. My country, Saudi Arabia, is better developed than most Middle East countries in terms of technology. In the area of information system security, however, it is behind much of the rest of the world and has to invite foreign guest workers to come and design our information systems, which is more costly. With the help of your cutting-edge program at XXXX University, I hope to replace some of these foreigners and help my country to make progress by developing our own information systems. XXXX is my first choice for graduate study because I see it as the best place for me to learn how to design, implement, analyze, and manage the security for new generations of Saudi Arabian information systems.

I have been in Canada for a year and a half now, first Toronto; then I moved to Montreal in December 2012. I have fallen in love with the French language and I am making rapid progress in being able to read and write it, in addition to speaking. Montreal is for me a paradise of diversity, the most enchanting city that I have ever gotten to know. I feel strongly that this is an ideal environment for graduate school, a place where I will be able to fully dedicate myself to my studies and to think creatively. In addition to my passion for the French language, I have distinguished myself from other Saudi students by the fact that I also speak Japanese; at least I am able to manage everyday conversation. I am particularly proud of the fact that I mostly taught myself this language, cultivating friendships with Japanese people who were willing to practice with me. This helps me to contribute to diversity and I feel strongly that multicultural and multilingual skills can be quite useful to the information systems professional.

The government of Saudi Arabia finally has taken notice of the importance of taking greater advantage of domestic human resources and is now assuming a more active role in helping young Saudis like myself to become internationally trained leaders in our respective areas. I am very excited about the prospect of becoming a leader in information systems back home in the KSA after completing your program. I am also pleased that in Saudi Arabia of today, women are able to become leaders, even in previously male dominated worlds, such as computer science. I see myself as part of a new generation of men and women who more fully appreciate the profound professional contribution of women. I live in Jeddah where most of the international companies are based. My French and Japanese will both be useful in my international milieu. I like to think globally and act locally. For example, I have worked as an event organizer for a center for orphans in my city, as well as developing a private network and database for a non-profit organization for children with autism. I hope to someday set up my own IT security firm in Jeddah and to work as a volunteer with many organizations at the same time that I develop a profitable business.

I have been working enormously hard on my English since my arrival in Canada, spending a year in Toronto in an intensive immersion experience in order to bring my language skills up to a level where I am confident that I will be able to excel in your program. I have my heart set on XXXX, which is why I mostly switched gears from English to French and moved from Toronto to Montreal. I thank you for your consideration of my application to your exciting program.